Obese adults now outnumber adults who are merely overweight, according to study

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied data from 2007 to 2012 of a nationally representative group of 15,208 people ages 25 or older. By analyzing their data, they reached the conclusion that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 were obese as of 2012; additionally 65.2 million Americans were overweight.

The author of the study Lin Yang writes, “Overweight and obesity are associated with various chronic conditions. These conditions are considerable health care and societal burdens, yet could potentially be averted by preventing weight gain and obesity.”

According to the CDC, people who are obese, compared to those with a normal or healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions, including the following:

All-causes of death (mortality)

High blood pressure (Hypertension)

High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)